Property vs Pension

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Hoping the financial wizards here can give me advice.

I just turned 30. Last year I landed my dream job, moved city and started renting a nice apartment. Over the last year or so I've been saving while working and I have 10k in my bank account. I'm lucky because the job comes with a very good pension, however I can't access that shit until I'm 65, unless I want to take a giant 4.5% cut for each year I retire before that age. I don't want to work until i'm 65, I want to stop in my early 50s.

I considered opening another pension account but I'd just have the same problem - won't be able to access it at a reasonable age without a huge penalty. That made me consider property. Is it a good idea to buy 1 or 2 places and rent them out for a steady income? Will 1 or 2 even be enough? I'm 30 now, could I even completely own 2 or more properties by my early 50s? How would I acheive this?

Basically, I need something to do with my money that will provide a steady income in my early 50s and bridge the gap while I wait for that sweet sweet pension money to kick in at 65. What are the best options?